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adrenal fatigue

So by now you’re probably thinking, “wow this sucks….guess this is just how it’s going to be” NOT TRUE! There is a whole lot you can do to get better and feel better!

Let’s get to it:

1. SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP! For some reason just because you can survive, albeit poorly, on 4 or 5 hours of sleep people think it’s a good idea. It’s not, it’s a horrible idea and you will get fat and depressed. Lack of sleep causes all sorts of cravings, specifically sugary carbs. So now you’re tired, probably stressed, and you’re eating candy. Massive fail. Please go to bed. Just get in bed an hour earlier than you usually do, leave your computer in the living room and put your phone on silent. If you have an iPhone turn it over, when it lights but it is very bright. Try to get yourself on a solid sleep schedule, at least 7-8 hours every night. You will be amazed how much better you feel after a few weeks. Lastly, the theory that you can sleep in on the weekends and “catch up” on sleep is not true. It’s a load of crap.

2. Try going gluten free. Although it seems that going gluten-free is pretty trendy these days, about 50% of the US population (celiacdisease.about.com) could potentially benefit from it.

3. Cut the caffeine. No one needs to drink a Trenta size coffee from Starbucks. No one. However, since you’re exhausted and just trying to get through the day the coffee pot is calling your name all day. Resist it! Caffeine triggers the adrenals to release more hormones; you want them to rest, not work! Try cutting back a cup of day or switching to an herbal tea. You will give your adrenals a rest and be more hydrated.

Healing your adrenal fatigue can seem overwhelming so just stick to a few changes at a time. If three changes seem too much, just focus on one, sleep would be my recommendation! Good luck!

I don’t think hormones get the attention and respect they deserve; they are kind of like the passive-aggressive (or sometimes very aggressive) logistic coordinators of the body. EVERYTHING is controlled by hormones, especially in adrenal fatigue.

Let’s break it down:

Your adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys like two little kidney hats. They are responsible for mediating stress responses and releasing specific hormones in charge of that.

Epinephrine and Norepinephrine – also known as adrenaline, these two hormones are your “fight or flight” directors. You know that feeling when you barely miss a dangerous situation, say rear-ending a car because you’re changing the radio? That dropping stomach, flushed face, shaky hands feeling? That is all because of an instant release and response to adrenaline!

Side note – stress doesn’t have to be just an acute situation. Unfortunately, our lives are more about chronic stress than having to run away from a lion cave-man style. As I mentioned previously, we were built to deal with acute stressors followed by a period of long rest, not the constant stress we deal with in modern lives.

Cortisol – I’m sure everyone has heard those BS diet commercials talking about the connection between cortisol and belly fat, well, part of that is true but the rest of it is garbage (don’t take diet pills. Ever.). The adrenals release cortisol in response to, you guessed it, stress!

-tells the liver to release sugar in to the blood

-raises blood sugar (so you can run away from that lion that is trying to kill you, not sit in traffic)

-suppresses the immune system

These are just a few of the things cortisol does, but, clearly it is a very important hormone but not so good when it is being released all the time. Ever wonder why people seem to be running themselves ragged and then end up sick? Thank cortisol.

These few hormones are just the tip of the adrenal ice berg. Next post I’ll explain the brain connection to all of this…I promise I’ll get to how to fix it!

We’ve all been there; you’re exhausted but can’t sleep. You stare at the ceiling and get legitimately mad at your dog/cat/partner for sleeping while you’re awake, hey if you’re up everyone should be up right? Just kidding. Sort of.

Unfortunately a lot of people head to their doctor and get a prescription sleep aid as a band-aid to their problem instead of investigating the actual cause.

Anyone ever heard of adrenal fatigue? Unless you’ve done some independent googling or spent some time in the holistic medical community you probably haven’t.

Our bodies are built to deal with acute, intense stressors for a short period of time followed by a long period of rest and recovery. So in real life, you head to CrossFit and do a 15 minute intense work out but then you chill out for the next 24 hours. When people are sleeping well, have a healthy gut, and minimal stress or effective stress coping techniques your body handles this great, it was built to!

However, if like most Americans, you are not sleeping enough, eating crap and experiencing long-term chronic stress you probably have some sort of adrenal fatigue. It’s that tired and wired feeling. You so desperately want to sleep but can’t. When you do finally sleep, morning comes way too fast and you can barely stumble out of bed in the morning. Oh yeah, and don’t talk to you until you’ve had your venti Starbucks. Sound like you?

In my next post I’ll breakdown the key hormone players and some things you can do to FEEL better, isn’t that what we all want anyways?